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Hockey fans across Canada are fed up with the NHL lockout and are bitter enough to walk away from the game they love, according to a recent poll.

A whopping 76% of Canadians identifying themselves as fans of NHL hockey feel this season will be "lost entirely," and almost half said "they would be less likely to attend a game as a result of the lockout," according to an Abacus Data survey conducted this past weekend.

Overall, six out of 10 Canadians surveyed feel the NHL season is lost, and only 38% said they were following the lockout "closely or somewhat closely."

The poll, which questioned 1,505 Canadians -- 28% of whom identified themselves as fans of NHL hockey -- comes on the heels of labour talks breaking down last Thursday between the NHL and the National Hockey League Players' Association.

NHL owners and the players have been in a bitter dispute over player contract caps and the length of the collective bargaining agreement. It was Monday that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the cancellation of regular-season games through to Dec. 30, representing a loss of 43% of a regular season that was supposed to start Oct. 11.

It what could arguably be seen as an even more visceral example of fans' exasperation is the 45% who would support the trustees of the Stanley Cup taking the iconic trophy away from the NHL should the lockout result in the loss of the entire 2012-13 season.

"There is a sizable group of fans who are so mad at what's happened, and these are people who probably love the sport," said Abacus Data's David Coletto. "They are just so frustrated and upset ... there may be consequences for the league that are long term after this, because it's the second lockout in a short period of time and this one has gone on longer."

Coletto also said while Canadian teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks are not likely to suffer much at the box office because of business-driven ticket sales, they could suffer when it comes to upset fans not buying merchandise.

Conversely, Coletto added, the teams in cities with less corporate ticket purchases could feel an impact when it comes to attendance at games if a significant number of everyday "consumers" have found other forms of sporting entertainment during the lockout.

It was during the start of labour negotiations that hockey fan Bob Van Hoorn, of Brockville, started the Facebook page, Punish NHL By Boycott When the Lockout Ends. "I believe fans are getting tired of it," said Van Hoorn in an e-mail. "There isn't a lot individual fans can do to make a difference, but my hope was that if there was enough interest out there (that) we could, as fans, collectively act in a way to show a meaningful impact on the pocketbooks of the NHL (and) NHLPA by boycotting games and not (buying) their merchandise."

Van Hoorn isn't alone in putting an opinion out there: Even Canada's pop crooner Michael Buble recently weighed in, saying during a TV interview that "if they lose this whole season, as a fan I think we should do our very best to stand up for ourselves ... I don't think we should pay to go to a game."

Abacus interviewed a random sample of 1,505 Canadian adults from Dec. 7-8 from an online database of 150,000 Canadian French and English volunteers.

Abacus weighted the survey sample by age, gender, region, and education level according to the most recent census data. Its method is widely used and, according to the industry association of which the pollster is a member, is believed to be capable of producing accurate results.

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Most Canadians believe entire season is likely lost

Hockey fans across Canada are fed up with the NHL lockout and are bitter enough to walk away from the game they love, according to a recent poll.

A whopping 76% of Canadians identifying themselves as fans of NHL hockey feel this season will be "lost entirely," and almost half said "they would be less likely to attend a game as a result of the lockout," according to an Abacus Data survey conducted this past weekend.